climate changeNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94climate changeWed, 13 Dec 2017 07:25:27 +0000climate changehttp://kosu.org
Christopher JoyceThe Arctic is a huge, icy cap on the planet that acts like a global air conditioner. But the air conditioner is breaking down, according to scientists who issued a grim "report card" on the Arctic on Tuesday. They say the North Pole continues to warm at an alarming pace — twice the rate as the rest of the planet, on average. This year was the Arctic's second-warmest in at least 1,500 years, after 2016. Researchers say there was less winter ice in the Arctic Ocean than ever observed. And ocean water in parts of the polar Barents and Chukchi seas was a whopping 7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than just a few decades ago. It's a trend that has some calling the state of the Arctic a "new normal." But Arctic scientist Jeremy Mathis says that term doesn't work for him. "There is no normal," he says. "That's what so strange about what's happening in the Arctic. ... The environment is changing so quickly in such a short amount of time that we can't quite get a handle on what this new state isArctic's Temperature Continues To Run Hot, Latest 'Report Card' Showshttp://kosu.org/post/arctics-temperature-continues-run-hot-latest-report-card-shows
57553 as http://kosu.orgTue, 12 Dec 2017 16:09:00 +0000Arctic's Temperature Continues To Run Hot, Latest 'Report Card' ShowsRichard GonzalesFrench President Emmanuel Macron, in a not-so-subtle jab at President Trump, has awarded long-term research grants to 18 climate scientists — 13 of them U.S.-based researchers — to relocate to France and pursue their work with the blessing of a government that doesn't cast doubt on the threat of climate change. The announcement Monday makes good on a pledge Macron made earlier this year after the U.S. pulled out of the Paris climate accord to offer France as a "second homeland" to climate researchers in order to "make our planet great again." Macron's appeal produced 1,822 applicants, nearly two-thirds from the United States. Candidates had to have a proven track record on climate research and propose a project that would take three to five years to complete. That period roughly matches Trump current term in office. Trump has proposed cuts in federal funding for scientific research. As Macron told the winners of the French grants, "we will be there to replace" U.S. support for climateMacron Awards U.S. Climate Scientists Grants To 'Make Our Planet Great Again'http://kosu.org/post/macron-awards-us-climate-scientists-grants-make-our-planet-great-again
57544 as http://kosu.orgTue, 12 Dec 2017 12:27:00 +0000Macron Awards U.S. Climate Scientists Grants To 'Make Our Planet Great Again'Joe WertzA new report from hundreds of experts and more than a dozen federal agencies is stark: Humans are likely responsible for the warmest period in modern civilization. The consequences of this warming vary regionally, but scientists and researchers forecast significant effects in Oklahoma and other southern plains states. The National Climate Assessment is the U.S. government’s most authoritative statement on climate change. The first part of the updated report, released in November 2017, outlines the science of global climate change. Katharine Hayhoe, one of the report’s lead authors, said the peer-reviewed report is currently “the most comprehensive, up-to-date, state-of-the-art report on climate science in the entire world.” In a live Facebook discussion about the report, Hayhoe, the director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University, said the findings can be summed up in a single sentence: “Climate is changing, humans are responsible, the risks are real, and the window ofWhat Scientists Say A Warming Climate Might Mean For Oklahomahttp://kosu.org/post/what-scientists-say-warming-climate-might-mean-oklahoma
57379 as http://kosu.orgThu, 07 Dec 2017 22:12:46 +0000What Scientists Say A Warming Climate Might Mean For OklahomaDavid SchaperMayors from across the country say a lack of leadership in Washington on climate change is prompting them to take action themselves. More than 50 mayors from cities large and small wrapped up a climate change summit in Chicago on Wednesday, at which they signed a formal agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their cities. They also agreed to meet goals similar to those in the Paris climate accord, which President Trump announced earlier this year the U.S. would withdraw from. Former President Barack Obama, who signed onto the Paris Agreement in 2015, lent his support to the mayors' actions in a speech to the North American Climate Summit on Tuesday afternoon. Obama pointed to rising sea levels, worsening droughts and storms and rising global temperatures as irrefutable evidence that the climate is changing. "Miami already floods on sunny days," Obama said. "Western cities across North American are dealing with longer and harsher wildfire seasons. A conveyor belt of some of theDozens Of Mayors Sign Pact To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissionshttp://kosu.org/post/dozens-mayors-sign-pact-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions
57363 as http://kosu.orgThu, 07 Dec 2017 14:36:49 +0000Dozens Of Mayors Sign Pact To Reduce Greenhouse Gas EmissionsRebecca HersherScientists appear to be self-censoring by omitting the term "climate change" in public grant summaries. An NPR analysis of grants awarded by the National Science Foundation found a steadily decreasing number with the phrase "climate change" in the title or summary, resulting in a sharp drop in the term's use in 2017. At the same time, the use of alternative terms such as "extreme weather" appears to be rising slightly. The change in language appears to be driven in part by the Trump administration's open hostility to the topic of climate change. Earlier this year, President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accord , and the President's 2018 budget proposal singled out climate change research programs for elimination. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency has been systematically removing references to climate change from its official website. Both the EPA's leader, Scott Pruitt, and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry have said they do not accept the scientificClimate Scientists Watch Their Words, Hoping To Stave Off Funding Cutshttp://kosu.org/post/climate-scientists-watch-their-words-hoping-stave-funding-cuts
56998 as http://kosu.orgWed, 29 Nov 2017 10:19:00 +0000Climate Scientists Watch Their Words, Hoping To Stave Off Funding CutsJoe WertzIn the aftermath of devastating hurricanes in Texas , Florida and Puerto Rico, communities across the U.S. are rethinking ways to control flooding and reduce hazards that could be worsened by urbanization and climate change. Writing such plans is a complex, politically challenging process, but one city in Oklahoma has emerged as a national model for creating a flood-control program that works. Bill Robison pulls over and parks his city-issued car on a tree-lined street in east Tulsa. “That’s the one I haven’t been able to talk to yet,” he says, pointing to a small, single-story home. Robison, the lead engineer for Tulsa’s stormwater program, approaches the home and knocks on the front door. His mission today: Meet the owners and convince them to sell their home to the city. The house has changed hands a bunch of times in recent years and it has flooded — repeatedly. It’s one of more than 80 houses Robison and the city are currently trying to buy. Over the last three decades, theIn Tulsa, a National Blueprint for Managing Floods as Cities Grow and Climate Changeshttp://kosu.org/post/tulsa-national-blueprint-managing-floods-cities-grow-and-climate-changes
56026 as http://kosu.orgFri, 03 Nov 2017 14:52:25 +0000In Tulsa, a National Blueprint for Managing Floods as Cities Grow and Climate ChangeseditorCopyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: This week, without explanation, the Environmental Protection Agency canceled the speaking appearances of three EPA scientists who were scheduled to talk at a conference about climate change. In another development, the agency is backing away from a congressionally mandated review of asbestos and other toxins. These are the latest developments in EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's drive to shift his agency's focus, which critics say amounts to gutting the mission of environmental protection. Lisa Friedman covers energy and environment policy for The New York Times. Thanks for coming in. LISA FRIEDMAN: Thank you for having me. BLOCK: And let's start with the cancellation this past week of the EPA scientists' speeches on climate change. One of them was to have been the keynote address. Is this emblematic of a policy shift on climate change within the EPA? FRIEDMAN: It's certainly emblematic of a rhetorical shift. Over the pastEPA Cancels Scientist Discussion Of Climate Changehttp://kosu.org/post/epa-cancels-scientist-discussion-climate-change
55814 as http://kosu.orgSat, 28 Oct 2017 14:17:00 +0000EPA Cancels Scientist Discussion Of Climate ChangeeditorCopyright 2017 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air . TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Terry Gross. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria have shown how extreme weather can destroy towns, cities and islands. My guest Jeff Goodell is the author of a new book about what cities around the world face in a future of rising seas and increasingly intense storms. It's called "The Water Will Come." Goodell is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone and has covered climate change for 15 years. He's also written about fossil fuels, including the coal industry and their impact on the environment. Jeff Goodell, welcome back to FRESH AIR. So Hurricanes Irma, Harvey, Maria - all the climate people say no one event can be attributed with certainty to climate change. But what about the confluence of these three consequential hurricanes? JEFF GOODELL: Well, I mean, I think that we're seeing what's happening as we're warming up the earth's climate here. I mean, it's a very well-established factClimate Change Journalist Warns: 'Mother Nature Is Playing By Different Rules Now'http://kosu.org/post/climate-change-journalist-warns-mother-nature-playing-different-rules-now
55549 as http://kosu.orgTue, 24 Oct 2017 18:00:00 +0000Climate Change Journalist Warns: 'Mother Nature Is Playing By Different Rules Now'Steve InskeepFormer Vice President Al Gore helped shape the conversation about climate change with An Inconvenient Truth . Now he's back with a sequel — called An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, due out next month -- and it follows Gore as he continues the crusade he made famous with that first film. The movie shows Gore standing in Miami floodwater, flying over imploding boulders of ice in Greenland and in Paris — trying to push the climate agreement over the finish line. President Trump, however, promised last month to undo that victory when he announced plans to pull the U.S. from the Paris climate accord . "I did my best to convince him to stay in the Paris agreement," Gore tells NPR's Steve Inskeep in one of two recent Morning Edition interviews. "And I thought that there was a chance he would come to his senses, but I was wrong." Still, Gore is hopeful about reversing the effects of global climate change. "[O]ne of the big differences between today and a decade ago is that we do have theDespite Climate Change Setbacks, Al Gore 'Comes Down On The Side Of Hope'http://kosu.org/post/despite-climate-change-setbacks-al-gore-comes-down-side-hope
51873 as http://kosu.orgMon, 24 Jul 2017 08:44:00 +0000Despite Climate Change Setbacks, Al Gore 'Comes Down On The Side Of Hope'Joe WertzIt's a Saturday at Choctaw High School, but for hundreds of Oklahoma teachers, there's a training class in session. Carrie Miller-DeBoer perches atop a stool monitoring a pair of soda bottles linked with a small length of thin plastic tubing created to mimic enhanced oil recovery, while teaching chemistry fundamentals. "I love it and my students will be so excited," she says. DeBoer is among 14,000 teachers in Oklahoma being trained to instruct a K through 12 education curriculum funded by the oil and gas industry. The lesson plans, created by the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board, have been used in Kansas, and the overall model has been pitched to at least five other states. The program centers on teaching math and science through oil-centric lessons and labs. That includes things like calculating the mileage of tanker trucks, or the slope of pipelines. "Half of our budget is restoration, half is education," says Dara McBee, communications director with the Oklahoma Energy ResourcesReading, Writing And Fracking? What The Oil Industry Teaches Oklahoma Studentshttp://kosu.org/post/reading-writing-and-fracking-what-oil-industry-teaches-oklahoma-students-0
51389 as http://kosu.orgTue, 11 Jul 2017 15:04:17 +0000Reading, Writing And Fracking? What The Oil Industry Teaches Oklahoma StudentsA new way to collect weather data is being tested this week. Dozens of researchers from four universities—Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Nebraska—are piloting unmanned aerial vehicles as part of a four-year, $6 million project with the National Science Foundation. But Dr. Jamey Jacob of Oklahoma State University says they’ve been interested in this idea for some time. “The technology wasn’t there yet. The idea was ahead of its time, and then people have had this thought all the way back to the '60s." He says the new technology could take the place of weather balloons, which have been used to deliver data. “It’s very cumbersome to go out and fill up a helium balloon and then launch it into the atmosphere and then not get the data back.” Jacob says the unmanned aircraft are more effective and affordable than radar or manned aircraft. Researchers hope to use the unmanned aircraft to measure weather and atmosphericResearchers Testing Unmanned Aircraft In Weather Data Collectionhttp://kosu.org/post/researchers-testing-unmanned-aircraft-weather-data-collection
50897 as http://kosu.orgWed, 28 Jun 2017 15:13:25 +0000Researchers Testing Unmanned Aircraft In Weather Data CollectionJennifer Merritt’s first-graders at Jefferson Elementary School in Pryor, Oklahoma, were in for a treat. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, the students gathered in late November for story time with two special guests, state Rep. Tom Gann and state Sen. Marty Quinn . Dressed in suits, the Republican lawmakers read aloud from “ Petro Pete’s Big Bad Dream ,” a parable in which a Bob the Builder lookalike awakens to find his toothbrush, hardhat and even the tires on his bike missing. Abandoned by the school bus, Pete walks to Petroville Elementary in his pajamas. “It sounds like you are missing all of your petroleum by-products today!” his teacher, Mrs. Rigwell, exclaims, extolling oil’s benefits to Pete and fellow students like Sammy Shale. Before long, Pete decides that “having no petroleum is like a nightmare!” The tale is the latest in an illustrated series by the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board , a state agency funded by oil and gas producers. The board has spent upwards of $40Oil's Pipeline to America's Schoolshttp://kosu.org/post/oils-pipeline-americas-schools
50432 as http://kosu.orgFri, 16 Jun 2017 15:20:48 +0000Oil's Pipeline to America's SchoolsMerrit KennedyHawaii's governor has signed a bill that adopts goals of the Paris climate agreement, despite President Trump's announcement last week that the U.S. is pulling out of the global accord. "Reducing greenhouse emissions in Hawaii is now the law — the state law," reports Hawaii Public Radio's Bill Dorman. "While the specifics are a bit vague, the political message is clear: to keep pace with environmental commitments made as part of the Paris accord." Gov. David Ige signed the Senate bill on Tuesday, saying he was motivated by the evidence of climate change visible every day in Hawaii. "We are the testing grounds. ... We are especially aware of the limits of our natural environment," Ige said before signing the document . "Tides are getting higher, biodiversity is shrinking, coral is bleaching, coastlines are eroding, weather is becoming more extreme. We must acknowledge these realities at home. That is why Hawaii is united in its political leadership on tackling climate change." The lawHawaii Signs Legislation To Implement Goals Of Paris Climate Accord Anywayhttp://kosu.org/post/hawaii-signs-legislation-implement-goals-paris-climate-accord-anyway
50056 as http://kosu.orgWed, 07 Jun 2017 16:19:00 +0000Hawaii Signs Legislation To Implement Goals Of Paris Climate Accord AnywayNPR StaffPresident Trump announced Thursday that the U.S. will leave the Paris climate deal. Here are five things that could be affected by the decision. 1. The coal industry Even coal companies had lobbied the Trump administration to stay in the agreement. They said they needed a seat at the table during international climate discussions to advocate for coal's place in the global energy mix. The industry also wants financial support for technology to capture and store carbon emissions, something that could keep coal plants operating longer even as cities, states and other countries work to address climate change. While President Trump had promised to "cancel" the Paris deal to boost coal, the decision is not likely to create more jobs. The industry is in a long-term decline as it faces competition from cheaper natural gas and — increasingly — wind and solar. Some utilities are also responding to customer demand for renewable power, and the policies of any one administration have little impact5 Changes That Could Come From Leaving The Paris Climate Dealhttp://kosu.org/post/5-changes-could-come-leaving-paris-climate-deal
49827 as http://kosu.orgThu, 01 Jun 2017 19:36:00 +00005 Changes That Could Come From Leaving The Paris Climate DealeditorGOP Senator Urges Trump To Withdraw From Paris Climate Agreementhttp://kosu.org/post/gop-senator-urges-trump-withdraw-paris-climate-agreement
49975 as http://kosu.orgThu, 01 Jun 2017 19:20:00 +0000GOP Senator Urges Trump To Withdraw From Paris Climate AgreementCamila DomonoskeUpdated at 5:45 p.m. ET President Trump has announced that the U.S. will be withdrawing from the Paris accord — the historic global agreement reached by 195 countries in 2015 to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting the rise in average global temperatures. During a news conference Thursday in the Rose Garden at the White House, Trump said the withdrawal is aimed at keeping his campaign promise to put American workers first. But he added that the U.S. would begin negotiations to possibly re-enter the Paris accord or a similar deal that, he said, would result in a better deal for American workers. "The agreement is a massive redistribution of United States' wealth to other countries," Trump said. "It's to give their country an economic edge over the United States. That's not going to happen while I'm president. I'm sorry." He later added: "Our withdrawal from the agreement represents a reassertion of American workers' sovereignty." During his campaign, TrumpTrump Announces U.S. Withdrawal From Paris Climate Accordhttp://kosu.org/post/trump-announces-us-withdrawal-paris-climate-accord
49812 as http://kosu.orgThu, 01 Jun 2017 15:02:00 +0000Trump Announces U.S. Withdrawal From Paris Climate AccordScott HorsleyPresident Trump is nearing a decision on whether to formally withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement — a landmark deal in which nearly every country volunteered to curb its greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit global warming. Trump is getting conflicting advice from various quarters of the administration. He met Tuesday with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, one of the strongest voices calling for the U.S. to drop out of the Paris accord. Trump is to meet Wednesday with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who believes the U.S. should stay in so it can keep its place at the international bargaining table. Various news outlets have reported that Trump has already made the decision to withdraw. But the president is doing his best to maintain suspense. Trump tweeted early Wednesday that he'll announce his decision "over the next few days." For all its symbolic importance, the decision may have little practical effect on U.S. carbon emissions. Trump has already taken stepsTrump Has Multiple Escape Routes From Paris Climate Accord http://kosu.org/post/trump-has-multiple-escape-routes-paris-climate-accord
49768 as http://kosu.orgWed, 31 May 2017 16:42:00 +0000Trump Has Multiple Escape Routes From Paris Climate Accord Merrit KennedyThe glaciers in Montana's Glacier National Park are rapidly disappearing. Some have been reduced by as much as 85 percent over the past 50 years, while the average loss is 39 percent, according to a new study from the U.S. Geological Survey and Portland State University. The researchers looked at historic trends for 39 glaciers, 37 of which are found in the park. The other two are on U.S. Forest Service land. The stark data actually calls into question whether all of these formations are still glaciers. In fact, the scientists found that only 26 of them are still larger than 25 acres — a common benchmark for determining whether a mass of ice is classified as a glacier. Early last century, the park had about 150 glaciers that passed that benchmark. Glaciers and ice sheets are melting all over the world due to climate change. But as Montana Public Radio explains , "that warming is happening faster in western Montana, where temperatures have increased at a rate almost double the globalDisappearing Montana Glaciers A 'Bellwether' Of Melting To Come?http://kosu.org/post/disappearing-montana-glaciers-bellwether-melting-come
48941 as http://kosu.orgThu, 11 May 2017 18:46:00 +0000Disappearing Montana Glaciers A 'Bellwether' Of Melting To Come?editorBuy a ticket in the Nenana Ice Classic and you could win nearly $300,000. All you have to do is guess when the ice covering Tanana River at the city of Nenana, Alaska will break up. Brothers Josh and Judah Ridgeway live in Nenana, a community of 375 people, about an hour southwest of Fairbanks. The brothers were hired by the Ice Classic to make regular ice measurements. They use a gas powered drill to bore through 3 to 4 feet of ice — though it's sometimes more. They do this at several locations on the Tanana, a few times a week, in April. "It's actually kind of a fun project, coming out here and drillin' the holes for 'em," says Josh. "Get out here in the morning when the sun's comin' up and — play." Back in 1917, railroad engineers in Nenana wagered bets on when the ice would break up on the river. It evolved into an annual statewide guessing game in which hundreds of thousands of tickets are sold. On each ticket the buyer writes when they think the ice will go out, down to theAlaska Guessing Game Provides Climate Change Recordhttp://kosu.org/post/alaska-guessing-game-provides-climate-change-record
48432 as http://kosu.orgSun, 30 Apr 2017 10:58:00 +0000Alaska Guessing Game Provides Climate Change RecordChristopher JoyceThere's an unplanned experiment going on in the northern Rocky Mountains. What's happening is that spring is arriving earlier, and it's generally warmer and drier than usual. And that's messing with some of the fish that live there. The fish is the iconic cutthroat trout. It's a native North American fish that thrives in cold, small streams. Explorer Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark Expedition fame was among the first European-Americans to catch this spangly, spotted fish. He used deer spleen as bait. It's relative rarity now makes it a favorite for catch-and-release anglers. But biologists have now found that it's in danger. The much more common rainbow trout is invading cutthroat streams and mating with the native fish. Ecologist Clint Muhlfeld says that creates hybrids. "It jumbles up the genes that are linked to the locally adapted traits that these fish have evolved with," says Muhlfeld, who's with the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Montana's Flathead LakeIn The Rockies, Climate Change Spells Trouble For Cutthroat Trouthttp://kosu.org/post/rockies-climate-change-spells-trouble-cutthroat-trout
47872 as http://kosu.orgTue, 18 Apr 2017 08:55:00 +0000In The Rockies, Climate Change Spells Trouble For Cutthroat Trout